Phnom Penh, 14 October 2024 – Samdech Rathsaphea Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the Cambodian National Assembly, has urged the high-level Cambodian parliamentary delegation and senior officials of the Secretariat-General, who will participate in the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-45) in Lao PDR this week, to be fully prepared.

Samdech emphasized the importance of ensuring their participation is active and inspiring through discussions, sharing views, and best practices on the General Assembly’s themes and topics. The goal is for the Cambodian Parliament’s involvement to contribute to peace, prosperity, and sustainable development in the region and internationally, in line with AIPA principles.

President Khuon Sudary made these remarks during a meeting this morning at the National Assembly palace to review the delegation’s progress prior to their departure.

The Cambodian delegation, led by President Khuon Sudary, will attend the AIPA-45 General Assembly in Vientiane from 17 to 23 October 2024, at the invitation of Honourable Mr. Xaysomphone Phomvihane, President of the Lao National Assembly and President of AIPA-45. The theme for this year’s assembly is “The Role of Parliaments in Enhancing Connectivity and Inclusive Growth of ASEAN.”

The AIPA-45 General Assembly will feature a variety of forums and meetings, including sessions for Women Parliamentarians of AIPA (WAIPA), the WAIPA Women Political Leaders Forum, Young Parliamentarians of AIPA (YPA), and various committees on economic, social, and organizational matters. Additionally, there will be dialogues with AIPA Observer Parliaments. During the assembly, Samdech Khuon Sudary plans to hold several bilateral and multilateral meetings with parliamentary delegations from participating countries.

After reviewing the delegation’s preparations, President Khuon Sudary expressed her appreciation for their efforts and urged them to continue refining their documents with relevant parties to ensure successful participation. Samdech also instructed the delegation to actively participate in the Joint Statement Committee to compile the results from each committee for the joint statement, aiming to benefit the people as a whole.

The National Assembly emphasized that this inter-parliamentary forum is a valuable opportunity to boost Cambodia’s parliamentary diplomacy and international standing. President Khuon Sudary will extend invitations to parliamentary delegations from friendly countries to attend the 11th Plenary Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, which Cambodia will host in November.